Tumaas ang bilang ng mga nakaranas ng depresyon at anxiety o pagkabalisa sa bansa simula ng magpatupad ng lockdown dulot ng COVID-19 pandemic.
Sa pagdinig ng committee on health sa panukalang batas ni Senador Sonny Angara na naglalayong amiyemdahan ang mental health law, sinabi ni National Center for Mental Health (NCMH) director , Dr. Rolando Cortez na batay sa kanilang pagsusuri at mga datos, lumilitaw na dumami sa mga Pilipino ang nagkaroon ng mental health problem simula ng magpatupad ng quarantine.
Ayon kay Cortez, kung dati rati’y 60 hanggang 80 lang ang natatanggap nila na tawag sa kanilang hotline, bigla silang dinagsa ng tawag mula 300 hanggang 400 noong mag-lockdown.
“We were being bombarded with calls from a mere 60 to 80 calls before the COVID issue and when we have started to have this lockdown, we received 300 to 400 calls per month,” sabi ni Cortez.
“Meaning to say that there are a lot of people wanting to communicate with experts that the place crisis hotline that actually anxiety and depression that this lockdown is going on,” dagdag pa nito.
Kahit aniya sa hanay ng mga umuuwing overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), tumutulong sila sa Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) sa pag-evaluate sa mga Pinoy na bumabalik ng bansa at nakakaranas ng mental problem.
“We are happy to support OWWA to evaluate OFWs, to assess them, and other agencies that need our evaluation,” sabi ni Cortez.
“There’s a list of problems which were being experienced by people because of this lockdown,” sambit pa nito. (Dindo Matining)